Process of preserving butter.



UNITED STATES than.

PATENT EMILE DE MEULEMEESTER, OF BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, ASSIGNOR TO FORCESOCIETE ANONYME, OF ANTVVERP, BELGIUM.

PROCESS OF PRESERVING BUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 689,292, dated December17, 1901.

Application filed August 23,1901- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMILE DE MEULEMEEs- TER, gentleman, a subject of theKing of Belgium, residing at 62 Rue de Neuchatel, Brussels, in theKingdom of Belgium, have invented an Improved Process of PreservingButter, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a process forpreserving butter, which is basedupon the propro erty possessed by gum-arabic of rendering the water orthe milk contained in butter non-fermentable. The researches of Fehlinghave established the fact that gum-arabic and its concentrated r 5solutions are not fermentable, and numerous experiments which I havemade have demonstrated that by mixing powdered gum-arabic with butter inthe requisite proportions for absorbing the water contained in thelatter (about four per cent.) the butter may be kept for a long periodwithout becoming rancid. In addition to this with asmall admixture ofsalt the butter preserves its aroma. Nevertheless this method ofprocedure presents the disadvantage that it necessitates too large aproportion of gum-arabic and that this gum should be exempt fromimpurities. Now it is difficult to procure pure gum in large quantities,and its price would speedily become prohibitive if the consumptionbecame large. In order to obviate these disadvantages, I proceed in thefollowing manner: I dissolve raw gum-arabic in water and filter thesolution in order to remove impuritiessuch as fragments of bark, dust,&c.-contained in the gum. I then mix the filtered solution with thebutter and finally extract the excess of liquid contained in themixture. By way of example I will describe a method of carrying myinvention into practice which has given the desired result.

Raw gu m-arabic is dissolved in water in the proportion of one part, byweight, of gum for two parts of water, and the solution is filtered in afilter-press, the frames of which are provided with a fabricsufficiently close for retaining the dust mixed with the gum. Thissolution is mixed with the butter, in the proportion of about six to tenliters of solution for one hundred kilograms of butter, in a suitablemixing-machine, and when the mixture has Serial No- 73,058- (Nospccimensd become thoroughly intimate it is caused to pass between twohollow cylinders arranged in juxtaposition and rotating in oppositedirections. The surface of these cylinders is perforated in order topermit the liquid expressed from the mixture to escape. The cylindersare covered with a permeable fabric, so as to prevent the butter fromentering these perforations. As butter ordinarily contains from ten tofifteen per cent. of water, this proportion is raised to sixteen totwenty-two per cent. by the addition of the gum-arabic solution, andthis excess of water is readily removed by causing the butter to passonce or twice between the pressing-cylinders. Operating in this manner,a portion of the gum-arabic is removed with the water, and theproportion of gum remaining in the butter may readily be reduced to oneper cent. as against the proportion of four per cent. given by themethod of treating butter with gum-arabic in powder. Before mixing withthe butter the filtered solution of guln-arabic there is added to thislatter the quantity of salt necessary for imparting to the butter thedegree of saltness which it is desired to obtain. I have found that anaddition of salt in the proportion of one-half to one part per onehundred parts of butter has the property of preserv- 8o ing the aroma ofthis latter when it is treated with gum-arabic in accordance with thisin vention.

I do not limit myself to a particular form of apparatus for carrying myinvention into practice nor to the proportions of the variousingredients which have been given by way of example; but

What I claim as my invention is- 1. A process for the preservation ofbutter consisting in dissolving gum-arabic in water, in eliminating fromthis solution the impurities originally contained in the gum, in mixingthis solution with the butter to be treated, then in removing from themixture a portion of the water originally contained in the butter and aportion of the gum-arahio solution which has been added to the buttersubstantially as described. 7

2. A process for the preservation of butter {00 consisting in preparinga solution of gumv arabic in water in the proportion of one part byweight of gum for two parts of water, in therewith substantially ashereinbefore del0 filtering this solution, in mixing the butter scribed.to be treated with this solution in the propor- In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set lion of six to ten liters of the solution for one myhand, in presence of two subscribing wit- 5 hundred kilograms of butterand in submitnesses, this 9th day of August, 1901.

ting the mixture to pressure in order to ex'- EMILE DE MEULEMEESTER.press 2% portion of The water originally con- \Vitnesses: mined in thebutter and also a portion of the H. J. E. KIRKPATRICK,

guin-arabie solution which has been mixed GREGORY PHELAN.

